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Mount Vernon Nazarene University, established by the Church of the Nazarene, opened its doors in 1968 and serves the denomination’s East Central Region. The University offers liberal arts, professional, and graduate education at its main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio as well as at multiple regional campuses.

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The MVNU Honors Program is not about having gifted students simply do more work; instead, the program exists to enrich the academic and cultural experience for gifted students by offering unique and challenging courses, special extracurricular opportunities, and a supportive environment in which students can excel.

Uniquely Designed Curriculum

The Honors curriculum is designed to challenge bright students to learn collaboratively in a discussion-oriented environment.

Honors scholars begin their experience before they ever move onto campus, engaging in the Summer Reading Assignment that invites students to read a common text and to think in ways that will prepare them for higher education and the MVNU experience.

During their first semester, Honors scholars take an Honors section of the University's introductory course, Discipleship of the Christian Mind, in which they further engage the questions raised in the Summer Reading Assignment.

In a two-course sequence, students engage in a discussion with each other, with their professors, and, above all, with some of the seminal thinkers in the western tradition. The conversation focuses on perennial human concerns: the nature and purpose of humanity, the interplay of faith and reason, the quest for justice and the need for mercy, the balance between individual liberty and the wellbeing of society, and so forth.

As an ideal complement to Core Conversations, Honors scholars enroll in an Honors Seminar during six of the eight semesters they are at MVNU. Each semester's seminars explore contemporary issues and questions from multiple perspectives and involve guest lecturers from MVNU and other area universities, field trips, experiential-learning opportunities, and even travel-study options. While Core Conversations introduces students to a rich, textured background, Honors Seminars examine problems as they

confront us in the particularity of our current situation. Recent seminar topics and titles include "Human Trafficking," and "Modern Apologetics."

In their junior year, Honors students design a research project and form a faculty committee to guide them. One member of the faculty serves as a mentor, guiding the student through the development and research phases and supporting them as they complete the project. Once completed and approved, Honors scholars present their findings at the university's annual Symposium for Undergraduate Research and Creative Work (sURC). The Honors Project often serves as a critical link between undergraduate and graduate education or as a step towards a future career. It is an ideal preparation for "the next step" Honors scholars frequently aspire to take.

Honors Benefits

In addition to these academic opportunities, the Honors Program offers:

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STUDENTSSPEAK.

"My honors coursework taught me how to think critically about relevant issues and to form my opinions by research and conviction. The moments that were most valuable for me were class discussions in Core Conversations and break-out sessions in seminars. The conversation was rich and it would spill over into the cafeteria, the chapel, and the residence hall."